LOCATION CRUNKVAR NV

Established Series
Rev. EWB-JFS-WED-JVC
06/2016

CRUNKVAR SERIES

The Crunkvar series consists of very deep, somewhat excessively drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from predominantly granitic rocks. Crunkvar soils are on mountain valley alluvial fans. Slopes are 2 to 15 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 230 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 11 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, mixed, mesic Xeric Torriorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Crunkvar gravelly loamy sand--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A1--0 to 15 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly loamy sand, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and common fine and medium roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 20 percent gravel; noneffervescent; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 15 cm thick)

A2--15 to 25 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly loamy sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; common fine tubular and many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 25 percent gravel; noneffervescent; neutral (pH 6.6); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 15 cm)

C1--25 to 56 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; common fine tubular and many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 35 percent gravel; noneffervescent; neutral (pH 6.6); gradual smooth boundary. (20 to 50 cm thick)

C2--56 to 132 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly loamy coarse sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; many very fine and fine interstitial and few fine tubular pores; 45 percent gravel; noneffervescent; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (25 to 75 cm thick)

C3--132 to 142 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very gravelly loamy sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine and medium and few very fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 40 percent gravel; noneffervescent; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 50 cm thick)

C4--142 to 152 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) gravelly sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial and few fine tubular pores; 30 percent gravel; noneffervescent; neutral (pH 7.0).

TYPE LOCATION: Mineral County, Nevada; about 6.5 miles southwest of Hawthorne and 0.5 mile north of Lucky Boy Road; approximately 1,200 feet south and zero feet east of the northwest corner of section 24, T. 7 N., R. 29 E.; USGS Lucky Boy 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 38 degrees 27 minutes 16 seconds north latitude and 118 degrees 42 minutes 15 seconds west longitude; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 38.4544444 latitude, -118.7041667 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Moist in winter and spring, dry in summer and fall except for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and October due to convection storms; aridic (torric) moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature:11 to 14 degrees C.

Particle-size control section - Rock fragments: Averages 35 to 60 percent, over one-half of which are fine (2 to 5 millimeters diameter) gravel; individual strata may range from 25 to 60 percent rock fragments.

A horizons
Value: 3 or 4 moist.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.

C horizons
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Loamy coarse sand, with strata of sand, loamy sand, or coarse sandy loam present in some pedons.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent average, with individual strata ranging from 25 to 60 percent.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Burbank, Sheeprock, Skaha, and Wrango series. Burbank soils are slightly to moderately alkaline throughout and contain a Bqk horizon within 100 cm. Sheeprock soils are calcareous throughout and are moderately to strongly alkaline. Skaha soils have less than half of total rock fragments being 2 to 5 mm diameter and lack appreciable amounts of summer precipitation. Wrango soils are slightly to moderately alkaline and average 60 to 75 percent rock fragments in control section with less than 50 percent of rock fragments being 2 to 5 millimeter in diameter.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Crunkvar soils are on mountain valley alluvial fans. These soils formed in alluvium derived from predominantly granitic rocks. Slopes are 2 to 15 percent. Elevations are 2,015 to 2,380 meters. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 20 to 30 cm, the mean annual temperature is 10 to 12 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 90 to 110 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Lazan and Nupart soils. Lazan and Nupart soils are both less than 50 cm to paralithic material.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; low surface runoff; high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Crunkvar soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly Wyoming big sagebrush, spiny hopsage, winterfat, Indian ricegrass, galleta, and needlegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West-central Nevada. These soils are not extensive with about 900 acres of the series mapped to date. MLRA 26.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California.

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mineral County Area, Nevada, 1985.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A1 and part of the C1 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (C1 horizon and part of the C2 horizon).

The revision of December 2005 corrected the geographic coordinates in the type location section. Future study of this series is needed to determine the amount of volcanic ash influence in the A horizons. Based on lab data from adjacent soils there is a strong possibility that volcanic glass contents in the A horizons are much greater than 30 percent. This would allow the series to classify in the subgroup of Vitrandic Torriorthents.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.